Not your usual pasta: skillet-baked ziti and Tex-Mex casserole

Wednesday

Feb 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMFeb 29, 2012 at 7:30 PM

By BETTY CICHYStaff Writer

Baked ziti usually takes at least an hour to put together and in the process dirties up several dishes — one pan for cooking the pasta and another one for the sauce, as well as a casserole to bake the ziti.

But you only need one pan to make this Skillet-Baked Ziti from "Pasta Revolution."

The pasta cooks in the sauce instead of in a separate pot of boiling water. As soon as it's tender, just sprinkle mozzarella over the top and pop the pan into the oven to melt the cheese.

Dry pasta absorbs quite a bit of water as it cooks, so the recipe calls for stirring 3 cups of water into the tomato sauce before adding the pasta.

When I tested the recipe, I found that the sauce was still watery after the pasta was tender (possibly because my pan wasn't quite 12 inches in diameter, so the water didn't evaporate as quickly as it should have).

If that happens to you, remove some of the excess liquid with a spoon or ladle before adding the heavy cream and cheese.

SKILLET-BAKED ZITI WITH SAUSAGE

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

3 cups water

12 ounces (3¾ cups) ziti

½ cup heavy cream

1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pulse tomatoes in food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.

Cook sausage in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medum-high heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Sir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in processed tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.

Stir in water and pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until pasta is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Stir in cream, parmesan and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serves 4.

If you like chile con queso, the popular Mexican restaurant appetizer of melted cheese and chilies, you'll love this pasta casserole.

To me, it seems like chile con queso with noodles, with the corn chips sprinkled on top instead of piled in a bowl for dipping.

But the editors of "Pasta Revolution" say their inspiration for this dish was a Texas favorite called King Ranch Casserole, made with layers of tortillas, chicken and cheese sauce.

In this version of the dish, egg noodles replace the tortillas. But the tortilla flavor doesn't disappear entirely, thanks to the crushed corn chip topping. (America's Test Kitchen recommends using Fritos.)

Ro-Tel tomatoes are available in most supermarkets, but if you can't find them, you can substitute 1¼ cups canned diced tomatoes and one minced jalapeno pepper.

TEX-MEX PASTA CASSEROLE

6 ounces (2¼ cups) wide egg noodles

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (10-ounce can) Ro-Tel tomatoes

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

8 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup Fritos corn chips, crushed

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until nearly al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

Dry now-empty pot, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno and cumin and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream until smooth, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Off heat, stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in cooked pasta and shredded cicken, breaking up any clumps of pasta.

Pour mixture into 8-inch square baking dish and sprinkle corn chips evenly over top. Bake until bubbling around the edges and corn chips are toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

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